The final words of a man named John Edward Jones have left the internet feeling emotional.
He was just 26 years old when he died in a tragic accident in Nutty Putty Cave, located approximately 55 miles from Salt Lake City, in November 2009.
His death was terrifying, painful, and also incredibly slow, meaning his final words were recorded for posterity.
And it’s safe to say, they were truly devastating.
The 26-year-old had been in the prime of his life – he was married, had a little girl and was attending a medical school.
Despite many years since Jones’s death, his story is still often discussed.
His wife, Emily Jones Sanchez, was pregnant at the time of his passing and has since remarried – which has resulted in some cruel trolling.
She’s ensured that Jones will always be a part of her life, telling Desert News: “It’s never been hard to talk about John, it’s never been hard to remember John.
“Ever since the very beginning, ever since I first met Donovan [her new husband], he’s been really comfortable with John continuing to be a part of our family and our lives, especially because of our kids.
“He just knows that the kids need to remember their dad so he’s good about wanting to stay in touch with the Joneses and he loves the Joneses.”
Jones’s story has even been turned into a film, titled The Last Descent (2016), and Sanchez believes it highlights the importance of treasuring your loved ones.
“We weighed the pros and cons and we finally decided that if this movie could help people, if it could be a good thing, if people can learn to treasure their relationships and be reminded about how fragile life is, then maybe it’s worth it,” she adds.
Jones’s story began when he went spelunking in the Utah cave system alongside his brother, Josh, and a group of family and friends…
The 26-year-old entered Nutty Putty Cave on the evening of November 24, 2009.
During his cave expedition, the medical student decided to try and find the formation known as the Birth Canal, which is a tight passage that spelunkers must crawl through carefully, as per All That’s Interesting.
Thinking he had found the Birth Canal, Jones inched his way into a narrow passage – before realising his fatal mistake.
Soon after, his brother Josh began the first rescue attempt. He pulled Jones’s feet, but his shifting position trapped him further.
“Guide us as we work through this,” Josh prayed at the time.
While Jones pleaded: “Save me for my wife and kids.”
Josh then left his brother to find more help, and the next person to reach John’s location was a woman named Susie Motola.
“Hi Susie, thanks for coming,” Jones heartbreakingly said, as per The Salt Lake Tribune. “But I really, really want to get out.”
More than 100 rescue personnel came to Jones’s aid over the next few hours.
Jones was being held at a downward angle, putting a great amount of strain on his body – which can be seen in the nightmarish image above.
His heart had to work against gravity to pump blood to his extremities, causing huge issues for his cardiovascular system.
The rescuers attempted a rope and pulley system to pull Jones loose, however, it failed.
One of the men on the scene, Shaun Roundy, recalled: “I reviewed the whole mission, wishing we’d have done this tiny detail differently or done that a little sooner. But it’s no use second-guessing things. We did our best.”
After the pulley system failed, Jones seemed to admit defeat, saying (as per ABC News): “I’m going to die right here. I’m not going to come out of here, am I?”
Tragically, after many hours spent trapped in this upside-down position, Jones’ heart gave out, and he died of cardiac arrest.
His reported final words were not of concern for himself but for one of his rescuers.
Ryan Shurtz had been injured when a loose carabiner flew back and hit him in the face.
“Is he OK? I think he’s really hurt bad,” Jones asked.
Since Jones’ death, the cave has been closed to the public. His body has never been recovered from its trapped position, for fear of more people risking their lives.